Technical Director for Theatre

Degrees

Professional Associations/Memberships

Representative Courses Taught

CTAR 179 - Special Topics - Lighting for Stage, Studio and Events

Advising

Biography

John Charles has spent the past twenty five plus years working to promote and maintain high standards of technical production for Eastern Michigan University Theatre, as well as consulting, technical directing and designing for many events and productions for the EMU campus community. These events include Beaux Arts Balls in McKenny Ballroom, annual faculty dance concerts (1999-2003) in the Quirk Theatre, fashion shows for Apparel Textiles and Merchandising (2009-2011) and numerous fundraising events all over campus. In his current position as Technical Director he has been helping to develop a new major and minor curriculum in Entertainment Design and Technology for CMTA. During the course of his career John has also provided scenic and/or lighting designs for more than a hundred shows of every period and genre at EMU, beginning in 1984 with Dr. Annette Martin’s adaptation of Kate Millett’s novel The Basement: Meditations on a Human Sacrifice. In 1987 he was awarded an Artistic Recognition Award by EMU for scenic and lighting designs for John Guare’s Landscape of the body. His body of work also includes freelance design and consulting for numerous theatre companies in the Midwest as well as event lighting supervision for many industrial and trade shows, including displays for auto shows in Detroit, New York, Atlanta and other major cities. In 2007 he designed the lighting for The 22nd Annual Governor’s Awards for Art and Culture at The Detroit Institute of Arts and served as technical director for the 23rd Annual Governor’s Awards for Art and Culture in 2008.